RESORT 2026 IS CALLING

BY BOOTH MOORE

Tom Ford’s pajama chic, Saint Laurent’s glam dolphin shorts, Thom Browne’s trompe l’oeil bikinis and more.

January 12, 2026

All photos courtesy of Vogue.com

Resort collections arrive in stores between November and early January, when coats and sweaters haven’t gone but T-shirts and shorts haven’t yet taken over. They first became a fashion phenomenon in the 1940s and were initially comprised only of warm weather wear designed for jetsetters who “wintered” in places like Palm Beach and St. Barts.

Today, resort collections also offer transitional pieces that fill the gap between fall and spring, spanning holiday parties, tropical jaunts and everyday wear. And they’ve become a bigger part of luxury brands’ marketing plans, with the top houses staging destination runway shows for VICs and press in exotic locations, that are akin to all expenses paid vacations.

For his medieval-inspired Louis Vuitton resort 2026 collection, for example, Nicolas Ghesquiere took guests inside “Palais des Papes” (Palace of the Popes) in Avignon, France– the largest Gothic palace in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the residence of popes in the 14th century. Dior gathered guests in the spectacular formal gardens of the Villa Albani Torlonia in Rome, while Chanel decamped to the shores of Lake Como.

Some of this year’s resort collections do have swimsuits and shorts (always in style in SoCal), or in the case of Thom Browne, the hint of such, with his charming trompe l’oeil bikini effects on suiting and tweeds. But there is a whole lot more. Here are 5 resort trends to try now.

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SOUTH COAST PLAZA

THE 2026 RESORT EDIT

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BEACH, PLEASE

As Diana Vreeland might have said, “Why don’t you match your swimsuit to your coat?” That’s what the Chanel resort collection suggests, in punchy pink no less. Saint Laurent brings back the 1970s sportif look, including giving the dolphin short a glam twist, while other designers offer short shorts in cotton stripes and denim. Straw bags may be a beach staple, but Celine’s Michael Rider makes a case for them for every day, and Thom Browne’s trompe l’oeil trickery means you can wear your bikini anywhere.

TEAM VARSITY

SAINT LAURENT

Prep, the most American of aesthetics, has a new-gen fashion fan club with Chanel, Staud (opening soon), Stella McCartney, Tory Burch and Thom Browne reimagining collegiate staples like polos, rugby shirts, quarter-zip zip sweatshirts and tennis sweaters as luxe must-haves. Athletic pieces are also woven into the resort collections, including Saint Laurent’s luxe windbreakers, Coach’s cheeky “Friday 13” football jersey and Alexander Wang’s genius peplum fleece hoodie bringing activewear energy to resort style.

STAUD

DELUXE DENIM

ALAÏA

Designers continue to push denim forward for resort by experimenting with silhouettes (Chloé’s pedal pushers), washes (acid effects on Alaïa’s peplum top and cargos), and trims (Balenciaga’s fur ankle cuffs) to bring a contemporary twist to the true blue classic. These creative iterations make denim a perennial fashion statement and canvas for innovation.

BALENCIAGA

FENDI

ALAIA

SLEEP CHIC

Fashion continues to embrace lingerie as daywear, with Ferragamo and Saint Laurent offering camisoles and slips as layers, or on their own for a sensual look. Valentino’s designer Alessandro Michele even went so far as to photograph his resort collection in the boudoir, with models sprawled across a bed covered in quilted satin. And for her final collection for Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri continues to make romantic sheer lace dressing gowns and ethereal pieces a signature. At the same time, pajamas have evolved into day-jamas, as seen in the luxurious piped ones from Tom Ford (opening soon) and Max Mara’s powder pink paisley set.

TOM FORD

SCARF IT UP

Silk scarves have been bubbling up as a trend for a while now, but they hit critical mass at Hermès’ Shanghai resort show. There, Dressage Tressage silk scarves adorned leather baseball caps, were worn as belts, as bandeau tops, and wound around the handles of Kelly bags. Scarf prints also covered puffers and cardigans and lined cashmere coats. For Michael Rider’s Celine resort collection, silk scarves were tied like bandanas at the neck, peeking out from under the lapels of jackets and coats, and looped onto a shirt collar. And at McQueen, the skull print scarf which was a defining accessory of the mid to late Aughts (and recently revived by Timothee Chalamet), became a halter top. So, get creative!